| Another example is found in 1 Corinthians 9:9-10 : For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. Many more examples could be cited of typological interpretations of the Old Testament, found in the New. Protestants generally wish to reject the allegorical method, but when faced with clear examples of the Apostles engaging in that very method, their response is usually to say: " Well, the Apostles were inspired to do it, but no one else is. " But this is clearly an arbitrary opinion that has no basis in Scripture or Tradition. The allegorical sense of Scripture does not negate the literal sense—it is another level of meaning in the text. Traditionally, there are four senses of Scripture: 1. Literal: This refers to the obvious meaning of the text. In some cases, the text is clearly not intended to be taken literally, but even poetic texts have an obvious meaning. 2. Typological/Allegorical: A type is a stamp which imprints an image. An antitype is that which is imaged by the type. We find the word " type " explicitly used in Romans 5:12-14: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. And we find the word " antitype " used explicitly in 1 Peter 3:18-22: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. |
| Don’t we read the Apostle Paul’s epistle to his disciple, Timothy, written twenty centuries ago? Probably it surprised the Apostle Timothy then, and he could not understand it in all its fullness. We also have only to wonder, seeing how words spoken in deep antiquity are fulfilled: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. And his last words are a commandment for us: from such turn away (2 Tim. 3:1–5)! We can disbelieve the words, but how can we living today disbelieve the things which have already occurred? How can we not believe God? The word of God contains everything, all of life, forever. The Apostles gaze pierced through twenty centuries, and amazes us who live during these onerous times. Let us take a look at ourselves, look inside ourselves and around us, and if we are such [as described above], let us cry out to God and the Mother of God for our correction. Let us depart from the iniquitous and cast iniquity far from ourselves. There is yet another terrible whip that destroys everything living, from the nation to the Church, and the Lord saw it; He commanded the world through the lips of his faithful disciple (St. John the Theologian) to stay away from divisions. In the first epistle to the Corinthians, the Lord through His Apostle meekly requests of God’s people: Now I beseech you, brethren … that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Cor. 1:10) This is so important that elsewhere, in the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle again and again beseeches the brethren to beware of divisions: Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (Rom. 16:17–18). |
| Statement of the Holy Synod of the OCA on Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs Regarding Marriage Source: OCA The following statement was approved by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America during a session of the Holy Synod on June 16, 2016 at Dormition of the Mother of God Monastery in Rives Junction, MI. It is approved for posting and use by all dioceses, parishes, institutions and monasteries of the Orthodox Church in America. General Standard The Orthodox Church in America teaches and maintains as a sincerely held religious belief that God has established marriage as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman, and that all intimate sexual activity outside the marriage relationship, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise, is immoral, and therefore sin (Genesis 2:24-25; Exodus 20:14, 17, 22:19; Leviticus 18:22-23, 20:13, 15-16; Matthew 19:4-6, 9; Romans 1:18-31; I Corinthians 6:9-10, 15-20; I Timothy 1:8-11; Jude 7). This principle undergirds the teaching of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America that Marriage is the most perfect realization of love between a man and a woman in which two become one and in which love unites in such a way that two lives become one life in perfect harmony. We believe that God created the human race male and female and that all conduct with the intent to adopt a gender other than one’s birth gender is immoral and therefore sin (Genesis 1:27; Deuteronomy 22:5). Marriage can only be between two people whose birth sex is male and female. The Orthodox Church’s marriage service specifically states, “Establish them in the holy union which is from Thee. For in the beginning Thou didst make them male and female, and by Thee the woman is joined unto the man as a helper and for the procreation of the human race.” Again the service states explicitly, “For by Thee is the husband joined unto the wife. Unite them in one mind; wed them into one flesh, granting to them of the fruit of the body, and the procreation of fair children.” |
| God had a number of things on His salvific agenda, His “to do” list: the call of Abraham and the patriarchs, then the creation of His people Israel, then their liberation from Egypt, then their conquest of the Promised Land, then (after the Babylonian Captivity) their restoration to that Land. Then the birth of the Messiah, and then His death, resurrection, and ascension, and then the outpouring of the Spirit and the Gentile mission. And then, as the very last item on the list, the Second Coming and the consummation of all things. Everything had been accomplished but that last item, and that could come more or less at any time. That was why St. Paul wrote that the ends of the ages had come upon them (1 Corinthians 10:11), and that the Lord was at hand (Philippians 4:4). That was why St. James said that the Judge was even then standing at the very doors (James 5:9), and why St. John said that it was the last hour (1 John 2:18). They were not mistaken about timing, like children on a long journey constantly asking, “Are we there yet?” Rather, they were ready for it, whenever it came. What does it mean to live in readiness for the Second Coming? It does not mean that we live in a state of high anticipation, waking up each day excited and expectant (and going to bed each night correspondingly disappointed that today was not the day). Rather it means that we sit lightly on the things of the world, with a spirituality and an approach to life appropriate to people who are ready to leave this age behind at any moment. Our Lord counselled such an apocalyptic spirituality when He warned His disciples that Jerusalem would be destroyed within a generation. Most Jews in His day believed that God would never allow the Holy City to be destroyed, and they were determined to wait out any siege of the city and hunker down for the long haul. That, Christ said, would be a fatal mistake. They must sit lightly on the world they knew, for the Romans were about to sweep it all away into the dustbin of history. He then told a parable about the spirituality they would need, about how a man must be ready to flee at a moment’s notice, with all the urgency of Lot fleeing Sodom. “Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak” (Matthew 24:17-18, Luke 17:31). No time to stop and load up the world’s goods, no time to “just grab a few things”. One must sit so lightly on this world that one can leave it all behind at a moment’s notice. That was necessary counsel for those awaiting for Jerusalem to end in the first century, and it is necessary counsel for all Christians now. |
| However, in the New Testament is it stated clearly: Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh , are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities (Jude 1:7–8). It is obvious also from the text: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them (Gen. 19:5). The words, “know them”, have a very specific connotation in the Bible and indicate sexual relations. Because the angels who came to Lot had the appearance of men (see Gen. 19:10), it is clear from this just what vile depravity had infected all of the inhabitants of Sodom (both old and young, all the people from every quarter; Gen. 19:4). In fulfilling the ancient law of hospitality, Righteous Lot offers two of his daughters which have not known man (Gen. 19:8), but the perverted men were inflamed with a vile lust, and even tried to rape Lot himself: Now will we deal worse with thee, than with them (Gen. 19:9). Modern Western society, which has lost its Christian roots, is trying to become “humane” with regard to homosexuals, calling them by the morally neutral term, a “sexual minority” (as analogous to an ethnic minority). In fact, this is very cruel. If a doctor wishing to be “kindly” should suggest to his patient that he is healthy and that he is just by nature different from the rest, then that doctor would differ little from a murderer. Holy Scripture shows that God, turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly (2 Pet. 2:6). It speaks not only of the danger of losing eternal life, but also of the possibility of being healed of any, even the most serious and deeply rooted spiritual illness. The Apostle Paul not only sternly rebukes the Corinthians for shameful sins, but also strengthens hope in them through examples from amongst their midst: And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. |
| If you have heard of the midwives, wretched soul, who of old killed in infancy the manly issue and practice of chastity, then like the great Moses, suck wisdom. (Exodus 1:16 – 2:9; Acts 7:22) You, wretched soul, have not struck and killed your Egyptian mind, like great Moses. Say, then, how will you dwell in that desert solitude where the passions desert you through repentance? (Exodus 2:12) Great Moses dwelt in the wilds, my soul. So go and imitate his life, that you too may attain by contemplation to the vision of God in the bush. (Exodus 3:1) Imagine Moses’ staff striking the sea and fixing the deep as a type of the divine Cross, by which you too, my soul, can accomplish great things. (Exodus 14:16) Aaron offered to God the fire pure and undefiled; but Hophni and Phinehas, like you, my soul, offered to God a foul and rebellious life. (Leviticus 9:21-24; I Kings 2:12-34) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: To The Trinity: Thee, O Trinity, we glorify, the one God: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, Father, Son and Spirit, simple Being, Unity ever adored. Now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion: From thee, O pure maiden Mother and Virgin, God Who created the worlds and ages was clad in my clay and united to Himself human nature. Song 6 Eirmos: I cried with my whole heart to the merciful God, and He heard me from the lowest hell and raised my life out of corruption. Refrain: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: The waves of my sins, O Savior, as in the Red Sea recoiled and covered me unawares, like the Egyptians of old and their charioteers. (Exodus 14:7-31) Like Israel of old, my soul, you have had a foolish affection. For like a brute you have preferred to divine manna the pleasure-loving gluttony of the passions. (Numbers 21; 5: I Corinthians 10: 9) The wells of Canaanite thoughts, my soul, you have prized above the Rock with the cleft from which the river of wisdom like a chalice pours forth streams of theology. (Genesis 21:25; Exodus 17:6) |
| Note that the apostle refers to “rest” rather than “Sabbath”. What does it mean? Andrei Solodkov: It is a very important question indeed. The essential Adventist values are observing the Sabbath day, abstaining from eating pork and payment of tithes. There are other differences, but you were correct to say that observing the Sabbath is the most important issue. Here we must differentiate between the things that were before and after the Resurrection of Christ. Unfortunately, many Neo-Protestants do not distinguish between these two periods. As a result, they confuse things that are very different from each other. There is “the cup of the Lord” and “the cup of devils” (See 1 Cor. 10:21). There are idolatrous images and there are holy images. There are human traditions and Apostolic Tradition . There is a Sabbath day as a monument to the creation of this world in the Old Testament and there is the Resurrection of Christ as in, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). That is why when we read, for example in Hebrews, that There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God , it is important to note that it refers to “rest” rather than “Sabbath”. What does it mean? This is what Christ said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest . (Matt. 11:28). That is, it is in Christ that we find the true rest for our souls. It is not simply emphasizing the importance of a single day. When I was an Adventist, I saw how Adventists observe the Sabbath day. Sometimes it almost bordered on the absurd, and, as a pastor, I even had to interfere. Father George: How do they remember it? Andrei Solodkov: After the morning service, which includes singing, reading of the Scripture and studying the lesson of the Sabbath, the Adventists would go home, gorge themselves and go to bed. They would even jokingly say, “We need to fall asleep faster and sleep till sunset to be in rest and do nothing.” So, it was this absurd: they would sleep to avoid doing anything. In the Acts, there is a reference to, The first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread . (Acts 20:7). There is no need to explain to Adventists what “the first day of the week” is. They know very well that it refers to Sunday. In Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, it is also said that they made donations to missions on the first day of the week (See 1 Cor. 16:2), that is, on the day of the gathering. This was the day that they collected donations for the apostles so they could fulfill Christ’s commandment Go ye therefore, and teach all nations (Matt. 28:19). |
| When we read the Scriptures, we find that there are over 2,000 verses having to do with money and money management. Jesus speaks about money and money management more than any other topic, including heaven, hell, salvation, and so forth. The topic is very important for the Christian life. In an often-misquoted verse, St. Paul the Apostle writes, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). St. Paul teaches that our Lord realizes that we have needs to meet in order to live and to carry out His work. God is, however, a jealous God and demands our full commitment with nothing else taking precedence over His Lordship in our lives. That is why the Apostle Paul warns his first-century Greek congregation that the love of money is evil. All that we have is on loan from God. It is all gift. What we do with our time, talent, and treasures will be accounted for on the last day. The above, of course, refers to Our Lord’s parable of the talents, which teaches that we are saved by grace given to us – and invested (Matthew 25:14–30). It’s a familiar story, but bear with me: A man, before traveling to a far country, called his own servants, and delivered his goods to them. He gave to each according to his ability. All are not created equal, but have different abilities in music, intellect, arts, business, religion, and so on. He gave one five talents, the other two, and yet another one. The servant with five talents invested them in trade, and earned another five talents. Likewise, the servant with two talents, invested them, and made two talents more. But the servant who had received one talent, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. The lord returned, and settled his accounts with his servant. The lord said to his servant, who had, per his abilities, received five talents – and invested them – and made five talents more, “Well done, good and faithful servant: you are faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things, enter into the joy of your lord”. He rejoices and praises his servants who are faithful, and rewards them with shares of his kingdom (see 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Timothy 2:11–13). Likewise, the lord answers the servant to whom he had given two talents, and who had earned two talents more. |
| The very notion of the “Gospel,” the Evangelion, lies so deep in Christian memory that it takes on a tautological quality, as it were: The Gospel is the Gospel. The “idea” of it is so integral to what we mean by “Christian” that the two concepts can hardly be dissected. We know that the Evangelion has component parts, but these are so structurally intertwined that isolating them for analysis is nearly impossible and never convincing. So how do we go about identifying the Evangelion? Probably we should identify the source of the word, the literary place where the early Christians found the idea. That source was the Greek version of Isaiah 40:9: “Ascend a high mountain, you evangelizer (evangelizomenos) of Zion. Raise your voice in strength, you evangelizer (evangelizomenos) of Jerusalem.” It is significant—it is essential to observe—that the form of the word in Isaiah is a participle (of the verb evangelizo, traditionally rendered “to spearl glad tidings”). When we speak of the Gospel, then, we should think in terms of a verb. (The underlying Hebrew word is also a participle: m-vashereth.) The evangelion is a living and dynamic proclamation. The content of its message is inseparable from its power. Its “idea” itself is an action. The Gospel, according to an early evangelizer, is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23). The Isaian reference to the evangelion is not incidental to the theme of the larger section in which it appears. The second or middle section of the Book of Isaiah (chapter 40-55) is, in fact, thematically concentrated on the “glad tidings” of God’s new and final appearance, to give deliverance of His people. The author even describes it as a renewal of the Exodus. As when ancient Israel first marched into the desert, he promises, “The Lord (Adonai, YHWH) goes before you, and the God of Israel (Eloei Israel) is your rear guard” (52:12; cf. Exodus 14:19-20). Once again, “water will flow from the rock for them” (Isaiah 48:21; cf. Exodus 17:5-7; Numbers 20:8-11). As the Lord, in the Sinai desert, sustained His people of old, so now, as well, “They shall not hunger nor thirst” (Isaiah 49:10). Once more the Lord “will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom. He will gently guide those that are with young.” (40:11). |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Working Together with Christ Source: Notes on Arab Orthodoxy Commentary on the Epistle reading (2 Corinithans 6: 1-10) Archimandrite Jack (Khalil) 23 September 2020 Photo: http://vk.com/simbirskaya_mitropolia This reading is preceded by a touching discourse on the faith, in which the Apostle Paul explains the greatness of God’s grace that is directed to all humans so that they may transform out of their selfishness and fleshly self-love through participation in the event of Christ’s death and resurrection. Our God in whom we believe is the God who came down and became “sin” and “condemnation” for our sake, so that in Him we may become God’s righteousness: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21). This event constitutes the essence of the Gospel to which the Apostle Paul was consecrated to preach and from which he draws all his decisions. Therefore he says at the beginning of this Epistle reading, “ We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” These words epitomize the Apostle of the Gentiles’ feeling of responsibility because of his certainty that his partner in work in none other than the almighty God and that his sole purpose is for grace to be fixed in those who have accepted the Gospel and have started the path of change in their life and their priorities. For their part, the believers must not disparage the grace of salvation that they have attained “at an acceptable time” for God. When grace descends, we must not oppose it. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this, that we are not the ones who determine the appropriate time for God’s work in our life and the time of our repentance. The matter of times and seasons is in God’s domain, since He is the one who is pleased, “at an acceptable time and in the day of salvation,” to incline toward our misery and rescue us. |
|
|
